Sacramento Region Has Driest January On Record

The National Weather Service says last month was the driest January on record for the Sacramento region. The agency’s records go back to 1877. Michelle Mead is with the National Weather Service office in Sacramento. Mead points out Northern California has received virtually no rain since mid-December, and even less has been recorded in Central California. She spoke with Capital Public Radio's Steve Milne.

Mead says a high pressure atmospheric ridge parked on the west coast is diverting weather systems toward Oregon or Southern California. January is typically the wettest month for Sacramento and much of Northern California.

"For us to see hardly any or no precipitation across the valley is not a good sign for our drought to be improving any time soon," says Mead.

Steve is the voice of Capital Public Radio News as anchor of Morning Edition and Insight. He covers stories on a wide range of topics including: business, education, real estate, agriculture and music. Steve also produced stories for CapRadio.org. Read Full Bio